DAMASCUS, MD – Isaiah Brown-Hawkins, a 16-year-old from Damascus, was taken into custody on August 31 by Forest Heights police officers for his alleged involvement in a Father’s Day homicide.
Brown-Hawkins is accused of fatally shooting 32-year-old James Joel Austin on June 18 on Bethesda Church Road in Damascus. He then allegedly drove away in Austin’s Honda, which was later found in Washington, DC.
Officers spotted Brown-Hawkins driving a stolen vehicle on Audrey Lane in Oxon Hill. When they attempted to stop him, Brown-Hawkins allegedly rammed into police cruisers before exiting the car and fleeing on foot. After a brief chase, he was apprehended, and a handgun was recovered.
On June 19, detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Homicide Section obtained a warrant for Brown-Hawkins’ arrest. He faces charges of first-degree murder, armed carjacking, and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony.
Brown-Hawkins was transported to Montgomery County’s Central Processing Unit, where he was served with the warrant and now awaits a bond hearing.